- Date
- August 16, 2014, 10:00 local (14:00 UTC)
- Place
- Readington, NJ
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N211ANorth American SNJ-6
- Defining event
- Landing: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 15, 2014
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20140816024049A
- Case key
- 89907
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control during landing which resulted in an aircraft nose-over.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
While landing on a 3,442 foot long by 200 foot wide turf runway, the pilot of the tailwheel equipped airplane touched down in a 3 point attitude. He advised that his approach was normal and on speed, and the airplane touched down normally at 60 to 63 miles per hour and began to decelerate. The turf was a "bit rough" and had some areas that were bumpier than others. The airplane hit a bump at around 30-35 MPH and launched back in to the air to an estimated altitude of about 6 to 8 feet above ground level in a nose high attitude. The airplane then touched down tail first, then the main landing gear touched down. The tail then bounced back in the air and continued to climb up, forcing the plane to wheel barrel for about 50 feet then the propeller struck the ground, the engine cowling contacted the ground, and the airplane nosed over onto its back in the center of the runway. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that it had incurred substantial damage to multiple areas including the propeller, engine cowling, cockpit canopy, vertical stabilizer, rudder, and left wing.
Factual narrative
While landing on a 3,442 foot long by 200 foot wide turf runway, the pilot of the tailwheel equipped airplane touched down in a 3 point attitude. He advised that his approach was normal and on speed, and the airplane touched down normally at 60 to 63 miles per hour and began to decelerate. The turf was a "bit rough" and had some areas that were bumpier than others. The airplane hit a bump at around 30-35 MPH and launched back in to the air to an estimated altitude of about 6 to 8 feet above ground level in a nose high attitude. The airplane then touched down tail first, then the main landing gear touched down. The tail then bounced back in the air and continued to climb up, forcing the plane to wheel barrel for about 50 feet then the propeller struck the ground, the engine cowling contacted the ground, and the airplane nosed over onto its back in the center of the runway. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that it had incurred substantial damage to multiple areas including the propeller, engine cowling, cockpit canopy, vertical stabilizer, rudder, and left wing.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N211A
- Reported as
- North American SNJ-6
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 121-42318
- Built
- 1958
- Airframe hours
- 3,015
- Engine
- P&W R1340 SERIES, 550 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 1, 2013
- Departed
- SMQ · Somerville, NJ
- Destination
- N51 · Readington, NJ
- Airport
- N51 · Solberg-Hunterdon, runway 31, 3,442 × 200 ft, grass/turf
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 53
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight engineer, Commercial, Private, Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 24, 2014
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 21,000 total · 2,100 in this make and model · 10,090 as pilot in command · 50 in the last 90 days · 18 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SMQ, 4 nm away
Docket · 6
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 8, 2014, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.7 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.